"I can measure out my life in London's ice rinks. Several seasons of Skate at Somerset House with my ex, because it was our romantic Christmas tradition (actually, he hated skating). This year, I'll be mixing old and new: Hampton Court Palace, where people have been skating since the 1800s, and the inaugural Skate Leicester Square. As long as there's a mug of something mulled afterwards, I'm happy."
"Years ago, a regrettable ex-boyfriend bought me a merman Christmas tree ornament so bizarre that it short-circuited my brain, unleashing something primal within me. Ever since, I have scoured department stores, gift shops and the darkest reaches of the internet for more mermaid baubles, like some kind of gay Gollum. I now have more than a hundred, including a flautist mermaid, several Santa Claus mermen and (my favourite) a merperson who is somehow also a pig and a ballerina."
"These last couple of years, I've decided to carry my Christmas tree home. Kids smile and point, strangers say hello, and last year an old guy stopped me and told me an extremely long-winded Christmas joke but most importantly walking around with a 2m (7ft) tree slung over my shoulder is the only time I feel remotely masculine. Short of getting smashed on mulled wine and making small talk with my extended family, it is the most festive I feel every year."
Personal Christmas rituals revolve around seasonal outings, unusual decorations and public displays. Ice skating at London rinks marks life moments, from budget sessions at Broadgate Circus to romantic trips to Somerset House, and plans to visit Hampton Court Palace and Skate Leicester Square, often capped with mulled drinks. A single merman ornament triggered an obsessive hunt, producing over a hundred merperson baubles, including flautists, Santa mermen and hybrid pig-ballerinas, with unboxing in December as a joyful signal of the season. Carrying a two-metre tree home generates smiles, greetings and a rare, potent feeling of festivity and masculinity.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]